George Michael's downward spiral revealed

GEORGE Michael's boyfriend has revealed further details about the death of the iconic singer, as one of his close friends told of what led to the star's downward spiral.

Fadi Fawaz, who had been in a relationship with the 53-year-old recluse since 2011, discovered Michael's body on Christmas morning. He had died alone at his Oxfordshire home.

"We were supposed to be going for Christmas lunch," Fawaz told The Telegraph UK.

"I went round there to wake him up and he was just gone, lying peacefully in bed. We don't know what happened yet.

"Everything had been very complicated recently, but George was looking forward to Christmas, and so was I. Now everything is ruined. I want people to remember him the way he was - he was a beautiful person."

Fawaz's comments come amid unconfirmed reports Michael battled a spiralling heroin addiction. The late singer's representative has denied the claims to The Sun.

GEORGE MICHAEL'S 'DOWNFALL' REVEALED

Gary Farrow, a PR chief who managed Michael's publicity for more than 30 years, has explained what led to the singer's downward spiral after he built up a "serious persona".

"I believe easy access to drugs was the cause of his problems. I thought George was too bright to get involved with illegal substances. But once this disease gets hold of you it's hard to fight it," he told The Sun's Grant Rollings.

"He was one of the funniest people I knew. He built up this serious persona to protect himself. He always took the mickey out of himself. For me, with the exception of David Bowie, he was the best. He wrote, played, produced and sang his music. Not bad for a kid from Bushey. George wrote Careless Whisper on the bus when was just 17."

He continued: "I saw him make records. I saw how he used to build them up. George used to have cassettes strewn all over his car, in among parking tickets, and they would have little snippets of music on them.

"He would then put them all together and create something magical. This wasn't throw away pop, his lyrics reflected society. I think there were at least two more great albums in him. I know there is one great single to be released.

"The key to a return to the charts was for George to get his head straight. He was unbelievably close to him mum. She was a lovely lady, she would go to all the gigs, buy the scarves and stand at the front. It knocked him for six when she died.

"After smashing into the shop in his car under influence of cannabis in 2010 he knew he was going to receive a custodial sentence. I wrote to him in prison and he wrote a very funny letter back. After rehab he wasn't allowed to see anybody, so I don't know what his state of mind was at the end."

Mr Farrow added: "What I do know is that George was a real gentleman. He had impeccable manners. He'd stand up at the table when a fellow diner arrived, say 'good morning' and hold doors open for others.

"He loved the simple things in life. I bought him his first ever dog, which was a labrador puppy. He came to my house and loved ours, so I got him one. It would please him just to take his dog for a walk. If you were in need he would help you out.

"He gave to charity endlessly without wanting a name check. He wrote huge cheques and didn't want anything in return. He bought the piano that John Lennon wrote Imagine on for nearly £1.5 million (approximately $2,560,564) and then gave it back to charity."

He said: "George studied world politics and got hurt very easy. The suffering in Syria would have been intolerable to him. When we did Band Aid, seeing the footage of people starving in Africa was very harrowing for him. The world has lost not only a superstar musician, but a caring, loving man."

George Michael’s Fastlove video is one of many being snapped up by Australians on iTunes. News Corp Australia

POP ICON'S 'SECRET BATTLE WITH HEROIN': REPORTS

According to The Telegraph UK, a source said over the past year he is thought to have been battling a spiralling heroin addiction. The source also revealed that Michael had been treated in hospital for an overdose.

The source said: "He's been rushed to A&E on several occasions. He used heroin. I think it's amazing he's lasted as long as he has." The singer's representative denied the report to The Sun.

In 2013, Michael spent the first four weeks of a two-month stint at a rehab clinic in Byron Bay. Sources said the star was taking 40 Valium pills a day when he admitted himself to the facility, The Sanctuary, as well as abusing the potentially fatal drug GHB, otherwise known as liquid ecstasy.

The Mirror reports Michael hosted wild, all-night parties at his mansion in the weeks before his death.

"George loved having friends over and was often still going strong well into the following morning. This continued right up until his death," a source said.

George Michael released two albums with Wham! and five solo studio albums.News Limited

"He may have been in his 50s but it's fair to say he gave much younger ­partygoers a run for their money and the atmosphere was always quite ­hedonistic."

One of the final pictures taken of Michael in public showed the former teen heart-throb looking bloated while dining at an Oxfordshire restaurant with friends in September this year.

The Sun reports the pop star's weight gain made him reclusive in his final years, because he couldn't bear people thinking of him as fat.

"George was a total perfectionist, always, but he had totally lost confidence," a source told The Daily Mail.

Friends of the music icon claimed he had also attempted to take his own life twice, according to The Mirror. These allegations have not been confirmed.

Princess DianaIndependent News & Media

MICHAEL: 'PRINCESS DIANA MADE ME FEEL ORDINARY'

Michael said Princess Diana was the only person who made him feel "ordinary".

The tragic star admitted "bawling" his eyes out at her funeral as their mutual friend Elton John sang Candle in the Wind.

"Diana was the only person that I knew who made me feel like an ordinary person. That's what I thought was so amazing about her," Michael said in an interview, according to The Sun.

He added: "But I was always reluctant to call her up. It was almost like a mate of mine who doesn't want to call me up too much in case it looks strange - because he thinks that everybody else is calling me up."

Following Princess Diana's death in 1997, George admitted he "bawled his eyes out at the service".

"I had forgotten my hanky and I was really streaming," he said. "I was one of the few people in that part of Westminster Abbey that was really blubbering and I remember thinking: 'God, this is going to be really embarrassing.'"

FAMILY 'TOUCHED BEYOND WORDS' BY TRIBUTES

Michael's family have been "touched beyond words" by tributes to the late pop star, ITV reports.

The Faith singer's publicist said the reaction was an "incredible outpouring of love" and praised the "many, many kind words" and airplay given to the star's hits.

"For someone whose life was ultimately about his music and the love he had for his family and friends, his fans and the world at large, there could be no more fitting tribute than the many, many, kind words that have been said and the numerous plays his records have received," the statement said.

The former Wham! singer sold more than 100 million albums in his nearly 40-year career.

Michael's former long-term partner, Kenny Goss, described the singer as an "extremely kind and generous man".

Goss, who was in a relationship with Michael from 1996 to 2009, said he was heartbroken at the shock news.

"He was a major part of my life and I loved him very, very much," Goss said in a statement.

"The beautiful memories and music he brought to the world will always be an important part of my life and those who also loved and admired him."